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HOW TO CONNECT BATTERIES IN SERIES

AND PARALLEL

If you have ever worked with batteries you have probably come across the terms series, parallel, and series-parallel, but what
exactly do these terms mean?
Series, Series-Parallel, and Parallel is the act of connecting two batteries together, but why would you want to connect two or
more batteries together in the first place?
By connecting two or more batteries in either series, series-parallel, or parallel, you can increase the voltage or amp-hour
capacity, or even both; allowing for higher voltage or power hungry applications.

CONNECTING BATTERIES IN SERIES

Connecting a battery in series is when you connect two or more batteries together to increase the battery systems overall
voltage, connecting batteries in series does not increase the capacity only the voltage. For example if you connect four 12Volt
26Ah batteries you will have a battery voltage of 48Volts and battery capacity of 26Ah.
To configure batteries with a series connection each battery must have the same voltage and capacity rating, or you can
potentially damage the batteries. For example you can connect two 6Volt 10Ah batteries together in series but you can not
connect one 6V 10Ah battery with one 12V 10Ah battery.
To connect a group of batteries in series you connect the negative terminal of one battery to the positive terminal of another
and so on until all batteries are connected, you would then connect a link/cable to the negative terminal of the first battery in
your string of batteries to your application, then another link/cable to the positive terminal of the last battery in your string to
your application.
When charging batteries in series, you need to use a charger that matches the battery system voltage. We recommend you
charge each battery individually to avoid battery imbalance.

Sealed lead acid batteries have been the battery of choice for long string, high voltage battery systems for many years,
although lithium batteries can be configured in series it requires attention to the BMS or PCM.

GLOBAL HEADQUARTERS POWER-SONIC EMEA

(USA AND INTERNATIONAL EXCLUDING EMEA) (EMEA – EUROPE, MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA)
Power-Sonic Corporation Smitspol 4, 3861 RS Nijkerk,
365 Cabela Dr Suite 300, The Netherlands
Reno, Nevada 89523 T NL: + 31 33 7410 700
USA T UK: + 44 1268 560 686
T: +1 619 661 2020 T FR: + 33 344 32 18 17
E: customer-service@power-sonic.com E: salesEMEA@power-sonic.com
Rev1: 03/20

To ensure safe and efficient operation always refer to the latest edition of our Technical Manual, as published on our website.
© 2020. Power-Sonic Corporation. All rights reserved. All trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
All data subject to change without notice. E&O.E
www.power-sonic.com
 WHITE PAPER
HOW TO CONNECT BATTERIES IN SERIES
AND PARALLEL

CONNECTING BATTERIES IN PARALLEL

Connecting a battery in parallel is when you connect two or more batteries together to increase the amp-hour capacity, with
a parallel battery connection the capacity will increase, however the battery voltage will remain the same. For example if you
connect four 12V 100Ah batteries you would get a 12V 400Ah battery system.
When connecting batteries in parallel the negative terminal of one battery is connected to the negative terminal of the next
and so on through the string of batteries, the same is done with positive terminals, ie positive terminal of one battery to the
positive terminal of the next. For example if you needed a 12V 300Ah battery system you will need to connect three 12V
100Ah batteries together in parallel.
Parallel battery configuration helps increase the duration in which batteries can power equipment, but due to the increased
amp-hour capacity they can take longer to charge than series connected batteries.

SERIES-PARALLEL CONNECTED
BATTERIES
Last but not least! There is series-parallel connected
batteries. Series-parallel connection is when you
connect a string of batteries to increase both the
voltage and capacity of the battery system.
For example you can connect six 6V 100Ah batteries
together to give you a 24V 200Ah battery, this is
achieved by configuring two strings of four batteries.
In this connection you will have two or more sets of
batteries which will be configured in both series and
parallel to increase the system capacity.

GLOBAL HEADQUARTERS POWER-SONIC EMEA

(USA AND INTERNATIONAL EXCLUDING EMEA) (EMEA – EUROPE, MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA)
Power-Sonic Corporation Smitspol 4, 3861 RS Nijkerk,
365 Cabela Dr Suite 300, The Netherlands
Reno, Nevada 89523 T NL: + 31 33 7410 700
USA T UK: + 44 1268 560 686
T: +1 619 661 2020 T FR: + 33 344 32 18 17
E: customer-service@power-sonic.com E: salesEMEA@power-sonic.com
Rev1: 03/20

To ensure safe and efficient operation always refer to the latest edition of our Technical Manual, as published on our website.
© 2020. Power-Sonic Corporation. All rights reserved. All trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
All data subject to change without notice. E&O.E
www.power-sonic.com